How to Import Customer and Vendor Contacts in Sage 50

Through a few very easy-to-follow steps, users can easily import customer and vendor contacts in Sage 50. The file that the users are trying to import Data into Sage 50 must meet certain requirements for it to be able to be successfully imported into Sage 50.

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The System Requirements to Import Customer and Vendor Contacts in Sage 50

The first requirement that needs to be met is that the file must contain contacts of either customers or vendors only. No other contacts should be on the file apart from those of customers and/or vendors. And, to import contacts of both customers and vendors, they both need to be on two separate files. They cannot be on the same file, and they must be segregated so that they both can be imported easily.
The second requirement that the import file needs to meet is that it must be saved in comma-separated values (CSV) format. No other formats are acceptable when trying to import contacts of customers and vendors in Sage 50.
The last requirement that the file needs to meet is that the creator of the file must use the same column headings and formattings as in the contacts template file that is in comma-separated values (CSV) format.

Here are the Steps to Import Customer and Vendor Contacts in Sage 50

Once the aforementioned requirements have been met, the user can proceed to initiate the process of importing customer and vendor contacts in Sage 50.

Step 1: Download the CSV Template File

The first step that the user needs to do to kick off the import process is that they need to download the CSV template file.

First, the user must go to ‘Contacts’. Under ‘Contacts’, the user should be able to locate a section titled ‘New Customer’.
Now, Once they locate the ‘New Customer’ section, the user needs to proceed to select ‘Import Customers.
Alternatively, if the user is trying to import their vendor contacts, the user should then be able to locate a section titled ‘New Vendor’.
Thereafter, in the ‘New Vendor’ section, the user needs to proceed to select ‘Import Vendors’.
Once the first step has been completed, the user should see a hyperlink in front of them. This hyperlink will start the downloading of the CSV template file when it is clicked on. So, the user must click on the hyperlink to download the CSV template file.
Once the download has been completed, the user should be able to locate their newly downloaded file on their workstation in the ‘Downloads’ folder.

Step 2: Prepare the Contacts file

The next step after downloading the contacts file that the user must do is to prepare the contacts file for the import process. But before the file can be prepared, the user needs to know the fact that the maximum file size that can be imported is 0.5MB. If the size of the file is greater than 0.5MB, the user can then do is they can split the file into two or even three and import them separately.

To prepare the file, the user must compare the file that they have with the template file before they can start importing their contacts file. Things like the column headings and the data format must be identical in both the file that the user has with them and the template file that would have been used for comparison.

If the user does not have a file with them, then they need not worry. They can simply add the contacts that they want to import into the template file. The headings column should be left untouched by the user, and the placeholder/sample data that is in the template file can be replaced with the user’s actual data. The only thing is that the format of the file should not be changed in any way.

The user can use the points below to ensure that their file’s format is correct. The field names that are written below must be the same in the user’s CSV file.

Reference: This is a required field of type text. It can contain a maximum of 10 characters and must be unique to this record.
Business Name: This is a required field of type alphanumeric. Here the user must enter the contact’s business name.
Currency: This is an optional field of type text. Here the user must enter the currency code (for example, USD for American Dollar). Users can leave this blank if they want the default currency code to be applied.
Credit Limit: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter the contact’s credit limit here.
Main Address Type: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. To use the default of Delivery, users can leave this blank. Alternatively, they enter one of the Delivery, Accounts, Sales, and Purchasing options.
Main Address Line 1: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Main Address Line 2: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Main Address City: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Main Address State/Province: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Main Address ZIP/Postal Code: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 10 characters in this field.
Main Address Country: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 2 characters in this field. The entry will be the country code (for example, CA for Canada).
Main Contact Name: This is a required field of type numeric. Users must enter the name of their contact at the company.
Main Contact Phone: This is an optional field of type numeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Main Contact Type: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users must enter the type of contact (Contractor, Employee, etc).
Main Contact Email: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter their contact’s email address.
Main Contact Fax: This is an optional field of type numeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Address Line Type: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. To use the default of Delivery, users can leave this blank. Alternatively, they enter one of the Delivery, Accounts, Sales, and Purchasing options.
Address 2 Line 1: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Address 2 Line 2: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Address 2 City: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Address 2 State/Province: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 50 characters in this field.
Address 2 ZIP/Postal Code: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 10 characters in this field.
Address 2 Country: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 2 characters in this field. The entry will be the country code (for example, CA for Canada).
Ledger Account: This is an optional field of type numeric.
Payment Terms: This is an optional field of type numeric. This holds the number of credit days this contact has. To use the default payment terms, users can leave this blank.
Notes: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users can enter a maximum of 500 characters in this field.
Bank Account Name: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users must enter the contact’s bank account within 50 characters.
Bank Account Number: This is an optional field of type alphanumeric. Users must enter the contact’s bank account number within 25 characters.

Step 3: Importing the contacts file

First, the user must go to ‘Contacts’. Under ‘Contacts’, the user should be able to locate a section titled ‘New Customer’.
Next, locate the ‘New Customer’ section, the user needs to proceed to select ‘Import Customers. Alternatively, if the user is trying to import their vendor contacts, the user should then be able to locate a section titled ‘New Vendor’.
Once they locate the ‘New Vendor’ section, the user needs to proceed to select ‘Import Vendors’.
Then the user needs to select ‘Choose File’ and select their CSV file.
Then the user can simply hit ‘Upload’.

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